City
of Lindsay In Line For $2.4 Million
For Downtown
Lindsay - The City of Lindsay was ranked highest in projects to be funded through the Tulare County Association of Government’s point process in Transportation Enhancement (TEA) projects for this coming fiscal year beginning in July.
While the ranking is not final pending June 21 TCAG board meeting, it’s likely the city will get at least a part of the funds for major downtown street scape program this coming fiscal year.
“It looks pretty good,” says city manager Scot Townsend. The $2.4 million in funds will be used to do a major street renovation throughout Downtown Lindsay similar to the street improvements made near the Sweet Brier project. That includes smaller streets with larger sidewalks and street trees. “We want to bring people back downtown,”says Townsend. “We’re looking to make it attractive to have vendors on the sidewalks like they do in European cities.”
Townsend has had a successful run as city manager carrying on from the last administration this past year and now with 8 major projects in the Downtown area. The Sweet Brier project includes a new community park with two fountains and arbors that attract picnickers and families to the center of town adjacent brightly colored housing units that have been constructed in the past year.
Nearby the city has also received funds to build Lindsay’s version of the Life Style Center at the old hospital complete with an outdoor exercise track around it. The city recently received a $100,000 grant to do the track - the largest in an impressive record of grant approvals under Townsend’s leadership.
Lindsay’s Sweet Briar Plaza project completed in 2002 - is built adjacent Town House type residential units in this mostly Hispanic Tulare County town. The plaza has the feel of a “mercadao” or marketplace atmosphere with large 1.5 acre plaza and park adjacent the town homes that line two streets nearby. The plaza has shaded arbors for gatherings and farmers market type activities that feature a band stand and interactive fountains.
Now there is more private investment coming to Downtown that includes several new restaurants, says Townsend. The latest is a permit to renovate the El Patio restaurant on Honolulu approved by the city council in recent days near the plaza.
The project includes renovation of the upstairs for six new apartments. The city has been pushing to get more people to live in the downtown area - a strategy a number of cities are pushing.
Visalia - The Visalia city council took up the issue of a $5 million budget shortfall for 2004/05 this week and a $6.1 million deficit next year. The city is going through a 2 year budget plan “marked by both opportunities and struggles” says city manager Steve Salomon. Except for state take-aways, the city budget would be just fine, says Salomon.
Now with the passage this past March of the Measure T sales tax, record building permits and soaring sales tax revenues, the city can at least plan on increasing income from some sources.
But on the other hand, state budget proposals are cutting into city revenues.
Also adding to the problem, says the city manager, is that of the $5 million shortfall — $2.8 million is due to increased retirement costs made worse by the fact that the city’s stock market returns have declined. In the meantime the state has added more recent shock with their own plan to take $1.5 million a year the next two years to balance the state budget also grabbing $365,000 of the city’s redevelopment agency funds.
Expecting retirement investment declines, the city has set aside $9 million to cover the decline in investment returns from cash reserves the city has.
To meet the challenge the city has proposed the following new incentives to increase revenues:
• Increase $120,000 by cutting property tax paid on aircraft from the airport fund back to the general fund.
• $140,000 increase in planning fees including an annexation mitigation fee.
• $100,000 increase in revenues by including local street maintenance in a landscape district for new single-family development - taking the monkey off the city’s back. Regarding reductions in expenditures, the city is proposing the following:
• A $500,000 yearly saving in the city’s worker comp insurance payment that is now costing the city more than they want. The city is contemplating going to some sort of self insurance plan and recommendations are expected shortly.
• $300,000 from convention center capital fund to end the fund subsidy to the convention center. In addition the convention center will save $100,000 a year in various cost savings. The City says our convention center is battling stiff competition from Indian casinos.
• $100,000 savings in fleet operations.
• $80,000 savings by eliminating a position in the fire and finance department.
One arena the city is expected to increase in various impact fees including the waterway impact fee already adjusted, transportation impact fee, parking impact fee, public facilities impact fee, water annexation impact fee to include water rights to the city when land is annexed, ag land mitigation fee to be considered in 2005, and a proposed multi story impact fee credit for multi story buildings that reduce the impact on the city.
These impact fee increases would help the city balance its budget but many of them will be controversial politically.
The budget document suggests strong growth in the Visalia area continues pushing up revenues in property tax and helps to fuel a continued strong sales tax base. Sales tax returns this fiscal year are projected to be $17.7 million - up nearly $16 million over the original budget estimate in 2003/04 it should go to $18.23 million this coming year, property tax should increase 5% this coming year. Despite increase in building activities, the city will see less revenues since they reduced the permit fees by 25% last year.
Even with cutbacks, the two year budget calls for an $82.1 million capital improvement expenditure that will build phase one of the Sports Park, help build the West Acequia parking garage, spending $4.6 million on new Public Safety building, $3.9 million for two police precincts, spend $2.2 million on a new transit maintenance facility, spend $2 million to buy land for extension of the airport runway, spend $17 million to extend the sewer in the outer part of town and a number of other projects.
Overall, the 2004/05 budget is set at $132 million and a smaller $122.5 million in 05/06.
Tulare, Exeter, Ivanhoe Likely To Get Funds
Three Rivers - Funding for Three Rivers long awaited Visitor Center is expected to be finalized at the June 21 meeting of the Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG). The Three Rivers project was ranked number three in a point system with funds expected for up to the first 9 projects submitted this year by communities in the county under the Transportation Enhancement Program. The competitive bidding will dish out about $4.7 million in projects this coming fiscal year.
With final approval of $221,000 this year there should be enough to buy the 4.5 acres of land next to the Three Rivers Historical Museum for the project and the next year there should be enough to pay the total of some $623,000 total cost of construction and land.
“We’ve been working on this for 8 years,” says land owner and Historical Society member Janine Chilcott.
Three Rivers Community Service District (CSD) now controls the project and will own the rest stop that could be open in 2006. The rest stop will be discussed at a Three Rivers community meeting June 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the Three Rivers Historical Museum.
Other Transportation Enhancement activities ranked high on the TCAG list include $85,000 for Downtown Ivanhoe, $500,000 to improve the streets in Downtown Exeter, $656,000 provide a pedestrian and bike trail along Packwood Creek from Cameron to County Center, about $75,000 for a trail along old 99 in Tulare and $132,000 to build an arboretum trail along Mill Creek on the Visalia Scenic Corridor. Funding of these projects would be multi year and total more than $4.66 million.
TCAG is also considering a second funding stream for Congestion Management and Air Quality (CMAQ) that will make another $3.1 million available to cities and the county for mostly clean air vehicles.
Visalia - Visalia’s Ford dealership is “looking east” at possible sites for a new 7 acre dealership and showrooms, confirms general manager Larry Reemtsen. “That’s where all the traffic is, that’s where all the dealerships are,” figures Reemtsen, referring to the busy Ben Maddox automotive sales corridor. Reemtsen says the company has hired a real estate representative to head up their search for a new site.
Broker Doug Burr says he is representing Razzari in their search and sites on Ben Maddox including on North Ben Maddox at Goshen Ave. are being discussed. “We’ve had some talks with the city,” on the site, a part of a larger city land purchase from Union Pacific Railroad in the works. The city also owns the old Corp Yard on the other side of North Ben Maddox, but the dealership is focused more on the westside of the street.
Razzari Ford will relocate from its current rented facility on Garden and Main in the next year with the half block dealership building in the process of being sold to developer Andy Mangano.
Mangano, of course, is marketing his 72 acre westside Visalia Auto Plaza with plans for one 7-acre Chrysler/Jeep dealership owned by Frank Surroz in the permitting stage this summer. Surroz plans to keep his BMW dealership on Mooney for now.
A number of eastside dealerships, Don Groppetti and Frank Serpa are building three new Ben Maddox showrooms now underway or in the permitting stage - extending the Ben Maddox dealership-row south of the freeway in a plan approved by the Visalia city council last month.
Across from Giant Automotive there will be three new dealerships including two owned by Groppetti and one owned by Serpa. Giant owner Jack Petty has an option to build a new dealership out at the Auto Plaza but has made no firm commitment to the West.
Reemtsen says no final decision to relocate on Ben Maddox has been made and suggests if other dealers were to relocate to the Auto Plaza it may change how they view the westside project.
Just how soon the city purchases the big Union Pacific parcel isn’t clear either with an expected $1 million cleanup bill on some of the UP land from old oil contamination. Several oil companies may be liable for some cleanup costs. This week the city received notice from the EPA that they had been granted $400,000 to test the soil for the contamination on the railroad-owned land. The westside of the square block acreage between Center and Goshen, has been set aside for a new civic center but the Ben Maddox frontage has never had a firm land use designation.
Cards to Play
The city and Razzari each have cards to play in negotiations. Razzari owns two key parcels on Center and another on Garden at Main that the city would like to own.
Eastside dealers like Don Groppetti had argued against the need of the West 198 Auto Plaza project, suggesting keeping the dealerships clustered in one part of town might be best because of long standing city policy promoting the area and millions invested in dealerships in east Visalia.
He actually sued the city over the Auto Plaza project but the matter was settled last year. Still the suit and another legal filing by the Save Our Corridor group has held up the Auto Plaza project for some three years - a delay that may have taken its toll on the near term prospects of the auto mall.
Freeway Visible
The counter argument has been Visalia needs a large freeway visible auto mall - something the Auto Plaza has going for it. Others had argued for a Highway 99 auto mall as the best place to sell cars including Tim Razzari who has a Merced Ford dealership on Highway 99. The city has not supported a 99 auto mall location although the Mangano brothers had proposed such a site a few years ago and did an end run around the city by applying to the county for a site at 198 and 99. When the Plaza and 198 site was approved by the council, the 99 project was shelved.
The West 198 Auto Plaza has finally won the battle in court to move forward but there is an appeal by the Corridor group that has been filed. But it has yet to win a critical mass of dealerships needed to make the project look and feel like a real auto mall. However the developers remain confident of its success.
Visalia’s auto mall story continues to be filled with ironies including the fact that it was Tim Razzari who first had a deal with the city to anchor the Ben Maddox auto mall at Ben Maddox and Mineral King (a deal that fell through) - a site where Don Groppetti’s Nissan dealership is today. Groppetti is underway with building a new Nissan dealership on South Ben Maddox right now.
In the meantime, the current expansion and success of the Visalia downtown appears to be pushing urban development to the east with the likelihood that the old Ford showroom on Garden will be converted to upscale office and retail uses with the decision by owner Roy Sumida to sell the sprawling brick building.
Already Razzari Ford has been operating at a disadvantage being spread over 4 blocks downtown and are ready to set up shop in one good location. Reemtsen says despite these disadvantages business is good. “We had a record May,” says the general manager, spurred in part by Ford promotions.
1500 Mexican-Based
Trucks Could Travel Valley Each Day
Radanovich Meeting Set
San Joaquin Valley - Farm advocate Manuel Cunha is incensed over the prospect of 1500 Mexico-based diesel trucks plying the valley each day - a figure he obtained from the federal Department of Transportation. “We’ve been told to expect from 500 to 1500 a day coming up either Highway 99 or I-5,” says Cunha, increasing the vehicle miles traveled in the valley by diesel big rigs by almost 25% over current levels.
“Today we have 6.1 million vehicle miles traveled by trucks each day in the valley and that could grow by 1.5 million vehicle miles traveled,” he says. “We think the Department of Transportation and the California Highway Patrol will take care of the safety aspect,” says Cunha, but there is nobody that can give these guys a ticket for the pollution they pump out.
The US Supreme Court ruled last week that the president could open the border to about 34,000 Mexico domiciled trucks under the NAFTA treaty and there was no need to assess the environmental effect the trucks might bring.
The Mexican truck fleet tends to be older - many pre-1994 vehicles considered to be high polluters. One study shows that by 2010 trucks from Mexico will emit twice the nitrogen oxides and particulate matter as US trucks. Environmentalists fear Mexican trucks will burn Mexican diesel that is far higher than California diesel in smog producing sulfur content.
Just how many Mexican trucks come through this major travel corridor won’t be known until the border is opened - a prospect that could happen in a matter of weeks, sources say. But if 34,000 will enter nationwide, it would not be surprising that 1500 were going up and down the west coast through this - the major north/south artery each day.
Cunha says the numbers he’s got are estimates and “I think they are low” anyway.
One joke is that the conversation at the local truck stops will change forever with as many Mexican accents as southern drawls heard at the lunch counter.
Booming trade and the opening of the new San Diego port expansion already increases long haul trucking through the valley, suggests Cunha, concerned that farmers are being asked to carry the burden of cleaning up the valley’s air while truckers go unregulated.
Mexican truckers may be in high demand considering a truck shortage in some areas. Already over 1 million Mexican trucks cross the US border last year carrying their cargo no more than 20 miles. The cargo is offloaded to US carriers.
Another study done in the San Diego area finds truck traffic from Mexico at the three ports of entry has increased from 900,000 crossings in 1993 to 1.5 million in 1996. The survey found 85% of the diesel trucks bought their fuel in Mexico.
Much of the vehicle fleet in Tijuana according to the San Diego study are cast offs from the US. Tijuana’s fleet includes 300,000 mostly old, high polluting vehicles that has impacted San Diego’s air quality in recent years. About 90,000 of those vehicles are trucks.
Valley Air Board planner Scott Nester says he has done some estimates of how much more pollution could come from the Mexican trucks, but it was based not on the quantity of the trucks that could come here, but the supplanting of 10% of the trucks with Mexican trucks - an assumption he agrees may not come to pass. In fact, the Mexican trucks could simply add to the existing US truck fleet compounding the emission problem. Nester notes that figures he has seen show that about 40% of trucks coming into the valley pass on through without stopping - belching their fumes up and down both north/south highways.
“We have concern for our highway infrastructure too,” says Cunha since truck traffic is far harder on our highways than autos.
Security Issues
Cunha says farmers have a special concern - the fact the Mexican trucks could be carrying pests that could impact valley ag. “They could open the back door and a medfly pops out,” says Cunha wondering if USDA will set up an inspection program - an inspection complicated by the fact those trucks will be full.
“We’ve been talking to the leaders about all this,” says Cunha who is well connected in the Bush administration. Cunha says the California delegation has been working on the problem. He says Congressman Radanovich will have some meetings on this issue in the next few weeks.
Cunha says Radanovich has lined up some top department heads from the Bush administration to come to California to explain how they will deal with the issue.
“Our concern is over security in the US now that those trucks won’t be offloaded so inspection can’t take place any more,” he says. Bioterrorism is a worry, too. “I wonder how salmonella got on Paramount Farms’ almonds,” asks Cunha.
Trade advocates hope that the truck traffic will actually provide an opportunity for US goods to head back to Mexico, on the other hand and suggest trade between the two countries is a good fit for the US.
Packwood Project Eyes New Expansion
Visalia - Packwood Creek shopping center may expand another 50 acres to the east of Lowe’s - the project’s Phase 3 development plan, says Dave Miller who oversees the center for DBO Development.
“We need to annex and get through all the entitlement,” says Miller who hopes to file an annexation request with the city as soon as next month.
The shopping center is unable to find spots for large big box users now that development on both sides of Mooney—has been committed to or built. “We now work only with mid size and small tenants” to fill the remaining space left on the westside of Mooney, he says.
Miller confirms that once the parcel east of Lowe’s - a 27 acre piece - might work for Costco who has been rumored to be interested in relocating. “We want to remove any barriers for Costco or any other retailer to locate there,” says Miller.
Mr. Miller says they hope to have everything in place to start construction in about 8 months allowing building to go forward on two parcels - one to the north of Cameron and the other to the south by next spring.
Already another multi-family project is seeking annexation just north of the DBO land.
Miller says DBO is continuing to work with several restaurants across Mooney from the Olive Garden as well as smaller retail strip building on both the north and south end of the westside center.
Miller says DBO “wants to be in the position to tell a retailer that if they want to locate in the Phase 3 area, we will be able to deliver within a certain timetable.”
Farmers Face Tough Tree Fruit Year
Tulare County - Local stone fruit farmers who grow peaches, plums and nectarines are suffering poor prices so far this harvest with a glut of small fruit on the trees, say industry sources.
“Growers are going broke this year,” says Mike Weaver, sales manager for Dinuba-based Fruit Patch - the nation’s largest stone fruit shipper. “There’s not much anyone can do about it with all the small size fruit,” says Weaver, even though quality is good.
Weaver blames the early heat in late March and April for hurting the development of the fruit that hasn’t sized up like normal. “We’re down about half a size from last year’s crop,” says Weaver.
Nisei Farm League president Manuel Cunha says he sees the impact on his way to work everyday. “Apricots took a crash,” along with nectarines. Cunha says he sees apricot orchards full of small fruit, left to fall on the ground.
Cunha blames the consolidated grocery business for part of the equation. “All they want is big fruit” and they charge top dollar to the consumer. “What we want is for them to put the fruit on sale to the consumer” - a move that would move some volume, figures Cunha.
“They stopped picking size 60 nectarines because it’s costing them $6.50 per box to pick and they are only getting $5 a box,” says grower Tokkie Elliott. He says peaches are just a little better with size 56 at $7 this week. Elliott says the plum market is at break even point of $16 per carton but with higher volume of plums expected in the next few weeks the “market is going to go down.” He says continued tough times with tree fruit business is why his company has pulled out most of their stone fruit acreage fearing that “this industry is history.”
Exeter peach grower Bud Pinkham who farms cling peaches himself says there is a huge crop in the cling peach business and market isn’t so good. He says growers who have contracted their fruit, like himself, are glad for it.
Pinkham is familiar with the plum business here and notes sizes are small this year and the crop is small as well. “You make money by the carton and the buyer will give you $15 a carton for the larger fruit and just $8 a carton for one full of the smaller size plums.
Big Fruit
“All they want is great big fruit,” no mind to the quality of a plum like the Santa Rosa variety that tend to be small but “is the best eating plum in the world,” says Pinkham. The Santa Rosa’s are “more costly to pick” and fewer growers are bothering to grow this popular variety.
Pinkham says besides the hot weather and the fact growers have only a few buyers to sell to, there is foreign competition to worry about.
“I tell the story that Dole Foods who used to buy cling peaches from the Marysville area for their consumer fruit cups, now buys Greek peaches. The Greeks prepare the fruit in bulk and ship it to the Dole plant in Taiwan where it is put inside the plastic cup and sold back to the supermarket in Marysville - “all cheaper than we could have grown it here.”
“It’s a sad state of affairs,” shrugs Pinkham.
That’s the reason more farmers are cutting out the middle man and taking their fruit directly to the consumer if they can at farmers’ markets for example. Farmers market sales are up over 30% in recent years.
Poor returns in the stone fruit belt that includes the Reedley, Dinuba and Exeter area as well will come home to roost in town again this year unless the picture brightens later this season.
What's New
Cal Poly has discontinued its classes at the Tulare Heritage Complex for now with the loss of state funds hurting the start up effort. Staffer Diane Friend has moved over to the Tulare Chamber where she is heading up a citywide marketing effort.
The Tulare County Symphony's famous summer pops concert at Visalia's Mooney Grove will hold forth in Tulare this September 11 at the towns reborn Zumwalt Park - complete now with bandstand. During July (Wednesday nights) and August, (Thursday, Friday and Sat. evening) the park will feature live music in the park. The city obtained a grant of about one quarter million to fix the legendary park in front of city hall.
Several drought years in a row and increased demand has sent the Visalia water table down about 6 ft. in the past two years, says Cal Water's Steve Johnson. To keep up with booming new home building in the town's northwest, the water company has purchased a one acre well site it will be building late this summer next to the new elementary school off Ferguson. "I'm sure we will be building a few more wells next year" in the northwest, expects Johnson, including one in Shannon Ranch. "We've had a pretty busy year drilling three wells," he says. The town has some 71 drinking water wells.
Tulare County Fire investigators are offering a $10,000 reward in an effort to apprehend whoever is setting fires in the Woodlake, Lemon Cover and Dry Creek
Since June 8th, six fires have consumed more than 900 acres of grassland. Two of the blazes halve been ruled arson-caused but all six are suspicious, according to fire investigator Paul Marquez. He said Tuesday morning that a reward of $10,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the arsonist or arsonists involved in the fires. Those with information should call 1-800 468-4408. Callers will remain anonymous. The latest blaze was Monday evening when about five acres on Sentinel Drive in the Elderwood area were burned. The biggest fire was on Woodlake Hill on June 8th when approximately 800 acres were consumed. That same mountain burned last summer. The second largest fire was last week along Dry Creek Road when 75 acres were charred. There have been no injuries or damage to any structures, fire officials said.
The city council approved several development changes that will promote smart growth in Visalia. Among the changes approved were Zoning Ordinance amendments that reduce the minimum front yard setbacks. The minimum front yard setback will be 15 feet for living space and side-loading garages and 22 feet for front-loading garages. This change will give developers more flexibility in designing neighborhoods, will create higher densities and may reduce housing costs. Another change approved relates to streets. New local streets can be narrower, 30 feet compared to 36 feet previously. Sidewalks will be widened from 4 to 5 feet to make neighborhoods more pedestrian friendly and pedestrian pass-throughs are now considered desirable where there are back-to-back cul-de-sacs.
The city council agreed with a recommendation from Downtown Visalians that a uniform look for newspaper racks would create a better look in downtown and be more user-friendly for disabled pedestrians. The news racks, including Valley Voice, will be regulated by color, height, size and configuration. Where they can be placed will also be regulated, eliminating the proliferation of news racks that are scattered on sidewalks, chained to light posts and other utility poles.
Self Help Enterprises has applied for a USDA loan to help fund a 60 unit rental housing project in Orosi that will have two, three and four bedroom town house units surrounding a central square area with a community center and playground.
Visalia - The owners of the Main Street Theater in downtown Visalia didn't object to the city's condemnation action at the public hearing, but have now filed an objection in Superior Court against the city's bid to take over ownership of the property.
A court hearing has been set for July 8 in front of Judge Pat O'Hara.
The city has filed a motion with the court to take possession of the old theater building within 45 days after a city council motion passed in May that would take the possession deadline to about mid July, says city attorney Alex Peltzer.
Peltzer notes that the city's possession would still leave the issue of how much the city would need to pay for the building still to be settled in the courtroom.
The city says it has a public purpose in the taking of the private property - the home for the past few years of the children's theater group - Enchanted Playhouse. That purpose is to nurture cultural arts in Downtown Visalia.
The owner of the property, Martin Properties, had been negotiating with the city for months but had failed to come to an agreement. In the meantime, the theater owner struck a deal with a local church group - Restoration Church who has the property in escrow.
In their latest filing, the owner suggests the condemnation action by the city is unfair to the church but the church has not yet filed court briefs. That may still happen according to the group - Pacific Legal Foundation in a news article in the Bee. They said they would seek an injunction against the city because the action violated the churches rights to use the property. The church has said they also want to promote the arts in the building.
But by deadline of this newspaper - no filing in federal court has been made.
That may be because the city and church have been having some productive talks about possibly using the theater and other sites in town the church might be able to acquire. City attorney Peltzer says if the Pacific Legal Foundation doesn't file by the date the city will take possession - around July 15 - there probably won't be a filing.
Regarding the Martin Properties objection Peltzer says the city will claim the owners did not object at the public hearing and their claim now has been filed too late.
Strathmore - Strathmore-based Stark Packing - one of the oldest Sunkist members dating to 1928 - has had a running battle with the Sherman Oaks-based cooperative for the past few years. Brad Stark was a member of the Sunkist Board of Directors form 1986 through 2001.
Stark is claiming favoritism within Sunkist hurt his business which has now folded.
Stark filed a complaint against Sunkist Growers in March of 2002 - a suit that appeared to be on the way to being settled as of July 2003 with settlement papers filed with the court. But attorney for Stark, Joseph Uremovic says the suit settlement never was finalized, has now filed an amended complaint that will be heard in Tulare County Superior Court June 30, 2004.
Stark alleges that Sunkist favored some shippers over Stark after Stark as a board member became a vocal critic of the management. Stark claims that the relationship between Stark as a packer and other growers was "disrupted" and the operation became unprofitable forcing him to cease operations all to the damage of $15 million. He further claims Sunkist conspired to get other growers to move product to Stark's competitors.
Stark as board member had complained that Sunkist didn't properly market speciality citrus, Sunkist favored certain packers and growers with sale to more desirable buyers, Sunkist was giving orders to plaintiff for product and then cancelling the order after the fruit was packed and Sunkist refused to fill orders from competitors who had asked for the plaintiff's fruit, and other charges.
Stark says Sunkist board chair Al Williams promised a citrus grower who was packing with Stark that if he moved his citrus crop to Williams' packing firm, Visalia Citrus Packing Group, Sunkist would sell all of his crop before the end of the year. After the switch was made alleges Stark, Sunkist did sell more of their crop prior to year end than Sunkist had sold when the grower - Robert Bennett - was packing with Stark. Stark alleges such dealing amounted to "unfair business practices."
All told Stark is seeking $27 million for punitive damages and $33 million in other damages.
Stark's attorney suggests a trial in early 2005 is likely. Sunkist has yet to respond to the new suit.
By John Boyer
Lemoore - Downtown Lemoore's crown jewel is sparkling more brightly now. With "extensive renovations" taking seventeen months to complete, the "transformed" Antlers Hotel was revealed to the public on June 10th at a dedication Ceremony.
"The dream of saving this beautiful turn-of-the century brick masonry building and providing affordable senior housing began almost five years ago," said Holly Smyth, the project's chief planner. "The City could have done nothing and condemned the building, but instead chose to get involved to renovate and structurally stabilize the building."
"If we hadn't acted you would have a boarded-up building in the downtown," explained City Manager Steve Froberg. "Had we not stepped in, the Hotel would have been condemned."
To get the project going, the need for affordable senior housing had to be determined and the financial feasibility of carrying out the renovation project had to be assessed through a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) planning grant. Next, grant funding was sought and the City was awarded $1,000,000 in CDBG funds which was teamed up with the Redevelopment Agency's low-moderate income housing fund. Lastly, plans were drawn up and construction commenced.
The building was bought from Bob Yahna, of Hanford, for $245,000.
All those involved with the project are very pleased. According to Froberg, "In terms of projects, very seldom do you see a project that hits on so many needs. We saved a historic building, gave seniors affordable housing for seniors with accessibility to the community—the library, theater, downtown are all within walking distance. And we saved four downtown businesses from having to close."
The L-shaped building, located at the northwesterly corner of Heinlen and "D" Streets in downtown Lemoore, has approximately 6,700 square feet of retail space and 6,810 square feet of residential space on approximately 9,200 square feet of land. It features 8 one-bedroom and 2 studio apartments, 5 retail tenant spaces, and storage space in the basement.
The Lemoore Redevelopment Agency (RDA) has made major improvements which include new structural bracing, re-pointing all exposed brick surfaces, removing and replacing the entire roof, installing a 5-level sprinkler system, the installation of an elevator, and installing new air conditioning/heating units. Although the RDA has thoroughly renovated the building, they would like to see continued improvements to the building. "About $1 million was put into mandatory fittings—steel reinforcements, sprinkler systems, an elevator, etc.," said Froberg. "There still is a lot of work left."
"If someone were to willing to place into an agreement [with the city] to continue improvements to the building, their bid would definitely be more attractive."
The Antlers Hotel, over 106 years old, used to be the premiere hotel in downtown Lemoore. It was declared a local landmark by the Lemoore City Council in 1992. The building highlights the concept of mixed use: people live upstairs, while businesses are located downstairs. "Mixed use [buildings] help to keep a downtown vibrant," explained Froberg.
Bids on the property start at $650,000. All bids must be submitted to the City Clerk at City Hall (119 Fox St., Lemoore, CA) before 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 30, 2004. For more information, contact Steve Froberg at (559) 924-6700.
Community Action Plan
by Peyton Ellas
Springville - The group of citizens calling themselves the Springville Town Council Steering Committee has halted plans for an election that was to be held June 29. This action occurred after the Chamber of Commerce released its long-awaited Community Action Plan, and many residents expressed dissatisfaction with the election procedures and with what some felt to be the Steering Committee's lack of community consensus.
"When we started this, it seemed clear and there were no drawbacks," said Committee Chairperson Larry Otter. "But it's clear now that there are some." Asked if he believed the Committee might have acted too hastily in calling for a town council independent of the on-going C.A.P. process, Otter replied, "It looks like that."
The Chamber of Commerce, meanwhile plans to move ahead with its goal of helping the community develop a way to "speak with one voice," according to Dagny Grant, Chair of the C.A.P.'s Steering Committee. The 42-page Community Action Plan document reports on community input solicited at three town meetings held between September 2003 and February 2004.
"The next step in this process--moving from strategy to action--will be a workshop to brainstorm and prioritize options," stated Grant. This step will include a fourth town meeting moderated by a governance consultant the Chamber is in the process of hiring.
Funding through grants from the United States Forest Service, the Great Valley Center, and the Laura Jane Musser Fund allowed the Chamber to hire a planning consultant to moderate the town meetings and create the final report that organized participants' comments were into a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats model and divided proposed actions into those that the Springville community could do on their own, and those requiring County-led responses.
Key elements of the community's vision for Springville according to the report are: Planned and Managed Growth; Community Character/Quality of Life; Natural Resource Protection; Gateway Community; Downtown Enhancement; Provision of Public Services and Facilities; and Local Governance.
Otter said his Committee would support that C.A.P. process. Saying he will attend the next Chamber-sponsored town meeting, he added his belief that the Steering Committee's work could help the Town Council process, and his hopes that a future town meeting will answer some lingering questions. He expressed doubts however whether any process will result in a local representative organization.
"I don't think we'll ever have an election," he said.
Copies of the Springville Community Action Plan can be viewed at the Springville Branch of the Tulare County Library, located at 35899 Highway 190, on the grounds of Sequoia Dawn. Library hours are Monday 10-12 and 1-6, and Wednesday 12-5 and 6-8. The Plan has also been distributed to Springville-area service clubs, and should be available on the Chamber's website in July at: www.springville.ca.us.
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
June 16, 2004
